§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether NHS organisations adhere to the Code of Practice on Ethical Recruitment in the granting of work permits to foreign healthcare applicants. [170668]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 4 May 2004]: We monitor compliance to the code of practice through information supplied by strategic health authorities and also publish of a list of agencies who agree to comply with the code.
463WNational health Service employers may only apply for a work permit following a professional registration assessment by the relevant statutory body.
§ Dr. MurrisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which medical professionals from EU accession countries after 1 May will help to fill vacancies for(a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) dentists in the NHS. [168069]
§ Mr. HuttonNo assessment has been made on how many national health service vacancies could be filled by healthcare professionals from European Union accession countries after 1 May.
However, international recruitment has a long established history with many healthcare staff from around the world having come to the United Kingdom at some point in their career. International recruitment has made a key contribution to the delivery of services in the NHS, and is a two way process. Welcoming healthcare professionals from abroad gives valuable opportunities for a transfer of experience and the sharing of ideas.
NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): Qualified speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists employed in the NHS as at 30 September each year
Headcount 2000 2001 2002 2003 Increase Number Percentage Speech and language 5,430 5,685 5,960 6,243 813 15.0 Therapists Occupational therapists 13,129 13,914 14,749 15,391 2,262 17.2 Physiotherapists 15,608 16,212 16,885 17,922 2,314 14.8 Source: Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
Training commissions Headcount 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Increase Number Percentage Speech and language 457 558 553 597 140 30.6 Therapists Occupational therapists 1,173 1,385 1,563 1,692 519 44.2 Physiotherapists 1,346 1,473 1,780 2,157 811 60.3 Source: Department of Health Quarterly Monitoring